


A Shop Called Everything

by gabrielnovakgoestomyschool



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, Pan!Gabriel, Pan!Sam, ace!sam, genderqueer!gabriel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-24
Updated: 2015-04-24
Packaged: 2018-03-25 13:34:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3812413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gabrielnovakgoestomyschool/pseuds/gabrielnovakgoestomyschool
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam and Gabriel meet at a pride parade, and stupid, cheesy romance soon follows. As does a journey of growth and self discovery.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Shop Called Everything

A Shop Called Everything

CHAPTER ONE- Pride

“Someone felt the need to boast,” Balthazar noted. Gabriel grinned as he hopped down the last three stairs, landing with a heavy thud. He caught himself on the handrail and posed.

“Gotta get the ladies attention, Balth. And the guys. And the inbetweens. Anyone’s attention, really,” Gabriel said. “So. What do you think?” he asked, gesturing all over. His hair was spiked up, coloured in three distinct shades. Electric pink, neon yellow, and a baby blue. His eye makeup was the same type of outlandishness, with stuck-on eyelashes, and a rainbow of eyeshadow all across. His face sparkled from the ton of glitter he’d drowned himself in. That took the eyes to his clothes. His dress was tight, wonderfully curvy. The top part of the strapless dress was a light purple, the mid section a glaring white, and the bottom was green. His shoes, four inch platform heels, were painted with stripes of blue, red, and black, with gold pi symbols on the red. “See. Pan.” He pointed at his hair. “Queer,” he pointed at  his makeup. “Genderqueer,” he said as he pointed at the dress. “And polyamorous for my heels!”

“Yes, yes. Very gay, very fabulous. Now let’s go.” Balthazar was far more toned down, with black jeans, a grey shirt, and a black vest thrown over it. “The longer we stand here, the less time you get to stare at attractive people,” he reminded. “God, I can’t believe I have to be seen with your queer weirdness.” He sighed, then dragged Gabriel towards the door.

The two walked around the building to where Gabriel’s light green Beetle was parked. Gabe unlocked the car and hobbled around to the other side.

“Well, your weird-ass car is just the cherry-on-top, isn’t it?” Balthazar commented, complete with the usual sigh and eye-roll.

“Shut up, it’s adorable. Like me,” Gabriel retorted.

 

“God, could you possibly be more conceited?”

“Says the guy who spends most of his time staring at mirrors.”

“Oh, do shut up.”

Gabriel claimed the radio as soon as they were seated in his car. He started the car, wiggled out of his heels, and hit the ‘on’ button.

“Christ, how do your eardrums even work anymore?” Balthazar shouted, turning the radio down to a much quieter level. He grabbed the CD case on the floor, staring in disgust. “Scissor Sisters? Really?” he asked.

“Yes, sir. And don’t you go dissing my bands, or I’ll drop you off in the middle of the druggie side of town, got it?”

Balthazar rolled his eyes again.

“You keep doing that, they’ll fall out of your head, you know,” Gabriel threatened.

Another eye-roll.

“What colour are the socks for?” Balthazar asked, changing the subject. He gestured at the stripes of black, white, grey, and purple adorning Gabe’s feet. Gabriel’s feet drew back, hiding under the seat of the car, almost automatically.  
  


“Nothing. They’re just- socks. Only clean pair I had,” Gabriel muttered. Gabriel didn’t know why he was wearing them, honestly. He wasn’t those colours. He already had enough messed up rainbow glitter to surround him, he didn’t need more. And he wasn’t- well, he didn’t think he was. And no one was going to see the socks. It was dumb. But then, most things Gabriel did were dumb.

The roads were crowded, and parking was sparse. Gabriel drove around for twenty minutes before he could find a good spot. He hummed as he parked, slipping his shoes back on before he dragged Balthazar forward.

The place was loud. Screaming, shouting, talking, laughing. The bands were even louder than the car radio had been. Most everyone was dressed outlandishly. Some wore ball gowns, dresses, some wore as much rainbow as they could get their hands on, and some wore little to nothing. Perfect place to see hot people. People crowded around the streets that the parade wrapped around. Blockades were set up all around the blocks of the parade. It was crowded and hectic and busy and crazy and simply beautiful.

“Home sweet home, Balthy!” Gabriel cheered, grin stretched wide across his face. They pushed their way through the mass of people, navigating to a nice spot.

Eventually, Gabriel lost Balthazar to the push and pull of the crowd.

‘He’s probably already found someone to take him home tonight. Or twelve,’ Gabriel thought. That meant that Gabriel was free to do whatever he wanted as well. He watched one of the many drag queen floats with amusement. Damn. Those were some good-looking people.  

There were the floats, the rainbow cars, the balloon towers, the seas of people marching, the political groups. All amazing and great and beautiful. He ended up getting shoved a lot of free things too. By night, when the festivities were winding down, his neck was adorned with a plethora of rainbow coloured beads. Wristbands, a couple of pencils, a hat. He sucked on a lollipop in an- unusual shape. And then there were the condoms and lube. He ended up with 20 rainbow-wrapped packets that even Gabriel wasn’t sure he could use all of, as well as a couple of packets of lube. The day drained into night as the last float moved by slowly, and Gabriel turned to head for his car.

And apparently, everyone else had that exact same idea as him at the exact same time. He was pushed and shoved, and the high heels weren’t helping him stay upright at all. Someone moved rudely past him with a particularly strong shove, and he toppled backwards. He braced himself for an impact with the concrete, but it didn’t happen. Instead, he found himself wrapped in a pair of strong arms. Gabriel didn’t have the time to think as the arms encircling him moved him away from the rukus.

“Hey. You okay? Sorry about that. I- I shouldn’t have grabbed you and pulled you like that. I just didn’t want you to get trampled,” said the arms as they set him upright and let go. Or, rather, the human attached to the arms. Gabriel took a minute to readjust himself, before turning around. Damn. His rescuer was beyond gorgeous. An Adonis, an Aphrodite, whatever, Gabriel was enamoured.

“Hey. No need to apologize, beautiful. You saved me from one hell of a headache and possibly being trampled to death. I needed it.” Gabriel smiled. He stuck his hand out to introduce himself. “Gabriel. He/his, at least for the most part.” The guy shook his hand and smiled back, a small, nervous smile.

“Sam. He/him/his, too. At least, so far as I know,” he shrugged.

“Glad to meet you, Sammy. You know, my mother always told me and my sisters that a Prince Charming would come save us. Never really believed her. At least, until now,” he said with a wink. Sam look flustered. Gabriel was sure he’d messed up for a second there. But then, the shyness was replaced with a big, puppy dog grin.

“Well, I wouldn’t be doing a very good job of fulfilling my duties if I at least didn’t make sure that the princess didn’t get to his car,” Sam joked in return. Gabriel laughed and offered his arm, which Sam took, and they looped their arms together. “Which way, gorgeous?”

“For you? Any which way!’ Gabriel shouted over the loud noise. “But if my prince wants to take me to my car, it’s over that a way,” he said, pointing straight ahead. “Kinda far, got here late. My outfit took a while to get on.”  
  
  


“That’s fine. Can’t rush such beauty.” Gabriel liked this kid. Handsome, a hero, and a nice flirt. They made their way out of the crowd without much more conversation. It would have been hard to hear anyway. But when they got past the huge crowd of noise,  Gabriel turned to face Sam.

“So, Sam. Are you from around here?”

“Uh, yeah. I go to UT.”

“Mh, a college boy.”

“Yeah, what about you?”

“I live about fifteen minutes away. Love Austin. I own a store. What are you going to college for?”  
  
  


“I, uh, I want to be a lawyer. A family lawyer, you know? I like helping people.”

“If you keep on talking, I think I’m gonna be falling in love with you.” Sam laughed, and looked at the ground, his cheeks slowly turning a blushy red. “Oh! That’s my car!”

“Is your business in debt? Have you not been able to buy a car since the 60s?” Sam joked.

“You shut your mouth right now, Sam! It is a beautiful car. I love her.”  
  
  


“Dork.”

“Says the guy who blushes every five seconds. But don’t worry. It’s adorable when you do.”

“Adorable as in ‘Aw, my sister’s new puppy is adorable!’ or as in ‘God, that guy is fucking adorable!’?” Sam asked, curious and hopeful.

“Hmm. First one for sure. I’m not sure if it’s two, though. It depends on how good of a kisser you are.”

The kiss was quick. The first kiss was quick. Sam leaned down and gave Gabriel a kiss on the lips. He stepped back away from Gabriel immediately afterwards.

“While that was quite nice, Sammy, I’m gonna need a little bit more to judge properly,” Gabriel tased. “Of course, only if you want,” he added quickly. The reply came in the form of a kiss, lasting much longer this time. Gabriel pulled Sam forward some, his back against the Beetle. The took a moment to find a position where their noses didn’t bump together constantly. Gabriel grinned and wrapped his arms around Sam’s neck, keeping him close. The kisses were long, and messy. Sam kissed at Gabriel’s upper lip, slowly, until their lips were pressed together, hot breath occasionally puffed out. Gabriel let go of Sam’s neck, but not without a last short kiss.

“I think,” Gabriel panted, leaning against the car, “I meant both sorts of adorable.” He grabbed his chunky key ring out of his pocket and gestured at the passenger side door. “You wanna come, handsome?” he offered.

“I’m asexual!” Sam blurted out, a rushed shout. He looked down at the ground, and took a few minutes to breathe before he continued, much quieter now. “I don’t like sex. Sorry. I mean, you’re… wow. Really gorgeous. And I like you, and… and kissing you was… wow. But I can’t go home with you.”

Gabriel almost replied ‘Hey, no, it’s okay, I’m asexual too.’ But he didn’t. He didn’t even know if he was. It was just some dumb feeling. Instead, he reached for Sam’s shoulder, who looked scared and upset.

“Hey. Sam. Alright, cool. Calm down. You liked the kissing, right?” he asked. Sam nodded. “Wanna head to my place? We can watch a movie or something, do whatever you’re comfortable with? A nice, warm person to fall asleep with?”  
  


“I guess so, yeah. That’s- wow. Really nice of you.”

“I try my best,” Gabriel said with a little bow. “Besides, I’m not going to just leave you on the sidewalk just because you don’t like sex.”

 

“Thanks, it’s just… usually when I tell people the whole ‘no sex’ thing, they leave. Or start with the name-calling. That’s usually not all that pleasant.”

“Sam, look at me,” he gestured up and down his body. “I can’t judge. I’m a massive mix of queerness. I’m not going to turn away the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen, who just so happens to be nice, funny, and smart. Plus, you saved me from being crushed by a gay stampede. So what if you don’t want to have sex? Do I look like that much of a douche?”

“No. It’s just… past experiences, you know?”

“Yeah, it’s okay, I get it. My particular shade of rainbow has turned plenty of people away.” Gabriel unlocked the car and opened the door. “So. Are we going to stand out and talk about our queerness all night or are you gonna get in the car and watch some shitty movies with me back at my place?”

Sam smiled.

“Hmm. Depends on what kinda movies we’re talking about here,” he said, hand on the door handle.

“We can begin the negotiations in the car.” Gabriel grinned. Sam smiled back and ducked into the car.

“How do I know you’re not a serial killer?” Sam asked as he buckled himself in.

“Would a serial killer listen to David Bowie?”

“Probably, yeah.”

“Alright, probably, yeah. But if I was gonna kill you I would have done it before I got my DNA all over you.”

“That’s actually less comforting knowing that you’ve thought about that.”

“I’m not gonna kill you, Jesus. You’re far too pretty to be murdered.”

“Oh, wow, I feel so much safer now.”

“Shut up.”

“Okay. Prove you’re not a serial killer.”

“How the hell am I supposed to prove that, genius? By not murdering you? Which, I would like to point out, I’m doing right now.”

“Tell me about you or something. Your life. Prove that you are even in the slightest bit normal.”

“Boring. But fine. Okay. Uh. I own a shop called Everything.”

“Why’s it called Everything?”

 

“Because you call places by what they have. The ice cream store, the candy shop, the gas station. And I have everything. Well, a lot of stuff.”

“Yeah, that cleared about everything up.”

“Okay. I’ll try again. See, I don’t even bother to try to explain it to my family.  I have a shop called Everything. It’s- special. It’s like, this mix of every happy store that kids love. It’s part bakery, part candy shop, part toy store, part bookstore. We’ve got storytime for kids. It’s my own little bit of heaven. Really fits the whole ‘Austin’ vibe. And it’s basically my life. It’s my favorite thing ever. I like seeing kid’s faces light up, or adults come in and turn into kids again. Plus, I love baking. And, uh, I’m in a band. See, serial killers aren’t in bands. It’s called Complete Pegasus.”

“I thought you said you were boring!”

“I am! I own a store! You’re in college. Life is much more fun in college.”

Sam laughed, loud and full. Gabriel liked that laugh, the way it dimpled his cheeks and brought forth a tint of red.

  
“I spend most of my time studying!” Sam protested. “I live in a dorm room! The most fun I have is my weekly D&D campaign!” He looked down when he realized what he blurted out. “Not that I- play that, you know.”

“Well, there, Sammy. I didn’t know that I would be going home with a massive nerd,” Gabriel teased. Sam tried to mutter out an excuse before Gabriel stopped him by elbowing him in the side. “Hey. Calm down, kid. It’s okay. Seriously, I used to play Dungeons and Dragons all the time.” Sam smiled at that, relief washing over his face.

“Seriously? That’s awesome.” His grin was wide and happy.

“We’re here. And see, I didn’t even try to murder you once,” Gabriel announced.

“You live here?” Sam asked, voice full of amazement.

“Yeah. Not like I bought it or anything. It was a family house, then dear old daddy died, and I got this big mansion.” Gabriel pulled into the driveway, and parked. He jumped out and ran to the other side to open the door for Sam. Sam got out as the door opened, eyes focused on the house. Gabriel had to admit it, the house was huge. When he’d inherited it, the place had been a massive black gloom. He joked that he was Sirius Black, and he’d gotten Grimmauld Place. And of course, Gabriel wasn’t going to settle for that. He’d ‘fixed’ it. No longer was the house a gloomy black. Now, it was a rainbow of colours. Quotes were painted all about the house, all credited to ‘G.N.’ The front yard was cluttered. Not in a messy way, things just- overflowed. In the middle of the yard was a door, that didn’t really lead to anywhere. The door frame said ‘Enter Your Imagination’.

“You coming or not, hot stuff?” Gabriel asked, after allowing Sam a few minutes to stare and gaze in surprise and wonder. His house usually got that sort of reaction.

“You have got to be the weirdest, most interesting guy I’ve ever met.”

“I try,” Gabriel shrugged. “I’ll have to show you Everything sometime.”

“I’d like that. A lot,” Sam nodded.

“Good. It’s a date.”

At that, Sam grabbed Gabriel and brought them together, giving Gabriel a short, tentative kiss. He paused for permission to go further. Gabriel answered, kissing him back. He drew his tongue over Sam’s lips, somewhat chapped.

“We should head to the door,” Gabriel whispered, not willing to let go of Sam.

“Do you really want to?” Sam questioned, pressing a kiss to the side of Gabriel’s lips.

“Not really, but- crap. I don’t need my neighbors hating me any more than they already do. But- alright. Kiss and walk.” They ended up stumbling a couple of times, and navigating the yard decorations proved dangerous when they were both too focused on tongues and lips and breath to care about the ground. Gabriel pulled back when they reached the odd ‘Imagination Door.’ He stepped back, letting go of Sam. He opened the door and waited for Sam to go through.

“Seriously? You want me to go through.”

“Yep. Very serious. We won’t move an inch until you do.” Sam grinned, and wrapped his hand over Gabriel’s, pulling them quickly through the door, tripping a bit.

 

They stopped at the front door, breathless and giggling.

“You- you’re crazy! And reckless, and weird, and beautiful- and- fuck, I think I’m in love!” Sam gasped out, giggling, as Gabriel unlocked the door. He was drunk on the moment. And the free beer at the parade.

“You obviously haven’t known me for near long enough!” Gabriel laughed. He yanked the key out of the lock and kicked the door open. He gestured for Sam to enter. Sam smiled as he peeked his head in. Gabriel stepped in around him and flipped on a light. Sam gasped at the now visible vibrant interior of the house. The inside was just as odd and different as the outside, if not more.

“Gabriel!” Sam laughed, stepping inside. “This is amazing!”

“You sure you’re not just staring at a mirror?” Gabriel teased. He offered a bent arm to Sam, and Sam looped his own arm around easily.

“I want to know everything about you.”

“And I’d love to take you out sometime and tell you. But that could take a while. So for now, let’s find out if our movie tastes are compatible.”

“That sounds great, yeah. You promise we will though?”

“Of course. Why would I lose my chance with a seemingly perfect guy?”

Gabriel sat down in front of the T.V. and Sam followed suit. Gabriel opened the door to the entertainment center.

“Alright, Sam. Here’s your chance to win my heart. Choose a movie, any movie.”

Sam moved closer to Gabriel. As he looked through the movies, he grinned. He grabbed at a VCR tape and pulled it out.

“Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure?” he read off the box. “I love this movie. My brother made me watch it forever ago. And you’ve got the second one too!” he exclaimed happily.

“You like that movie? No one’s ever heard of it when I try and show it to them!” Gabriel said. “As a reward for being properly movie-savvy…,” he let the words hang as he leaned in and gave Sam a kiss on the cheek, before kissing down to his lips. Sam pushed him away gently after a minute.

“What else have you got in here… Head? Seriously? That’s, like, the worst movie ever. In a good way.” He continued to look through the movies, occasionally making a happy comment. Gabriel sat back and watched Sam’s face light up. That was the kind of beautiful face Gabriel could get used to. “Blade Runner, Labyrinth, Princess Bride, Head, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Bill and Ted’s Heinous Journey, The Fifth Element, Shawn of the Dead, Pulp Fiction. Do you have a kink for great cult classic movies or something?” Sam asked.

“Ah, you caught me!” Gabriel said, placing a hand over his heart. “Oh, horror! I have been caught! Whatever shall I do?” he asked, before pretending to swoon.

“You are such a nerd! You’re worse than my brother!”  
  


“Liking amazing movies does not make me a nerd, Sam! It simply means that I appreciate cinematic masterpieces!”

Sam rolled his eyes as he stood up and helped Gabriel up, before handing him a tape.

“Bill and Ted’s Heinous Journey,” Gabriel read. “A very, very good choice, if you ask me.” He pointed to the couch. “Make yourself comfy while I get the movie in.” He set up the movie, flopping onto the couch with the remote as the T.V. roared to life. He snuggled against Sam, who was lying sideways on the couch. Sam’s arm wrapped around Gabriel’s body easily. It was warm and comfortable and just about perfect, Gabriel decided.

They watched the first half of the movie intently, occasionally shifting to get into a better position. But by the second half, the movie was more or less forgotten to kisses and tickles and giggles and heavy breath and exploring. And when the movie ended, neither of them made a move to get up, too busy pressing kisses to anywhere they could find and experimentally dragging fingers over each other’s skin. They stayed that way until midnight was far past gone and neither of them could manage to stay awake.

\--

CHAPTER TWO- Lazy Mornings

The first time Gabriel woke up, he decided that it was too warm and perfect to get up, and he simply snuggled back against Sam again.

The next time, he woke up to angry shouting.

Balthazar stormed in, slamming the door behind him.

“You moron! You absolute asshole!” he screeched. He walked to the living room, and glared at the sleepy couple. “I called you eight times! But where were you, hmm? Having sex on our couch.” Gabriel sat up slightly.

“You left,” he pointed out calmly. “And we didn’t have sex. Now go be a grumpy, smarmy ass somewhere else.” Balthazar stared at him for  a moment, before sighing and walking away, muttering swear words under his breath. Gabriel flipped him off as he left. “And that would be my asshole best friend and roommate.”

“Seems like a nice guy,” Sam said with a laugh as his eyes fluttered open.

“A nice, very angry guy. You wanna go back to sleep?” Gabriel offered.

“That sounds nice.”

The third time, he was awoken by Sam stretching, displacing Gabriel slightly.

“You wanna get up?” Gabriel offered, voice still laced with the heavy accent of sleep. Sam groaned as he finished stretching.

“Not really, no.”

“Good. I was afraid that you’d leave right away in the morning or something.”

Sam laughed.

“First, why would I want to leave? Second, I probably couldn’t navigate a way out of here.”

“True. Well, when and/or if we decided to get off the couch, you want breakfast? Pastry chef here, so I can promise it’ll be good and yummy and sugary.”

“That sounds nice. But if it’s alright with you, I’d like to not move for a few more minutes.”

“Now that is a request I can gladly agree to.”

“Gabriel, what are you doing?” Sam questioned as Gabriel got up and laid on top of Sam.

“Laying on top of you. You’re nice and warm.”

“Alright.” They stayed like that for another hour, occasionally shifting or sharing kisses, but mostly just laying and enjoying each others’ presence. Slowly, Gabriel moved off of Sam and stood up.

“If you want to get up now, I can promise you some of the best crepes you’ve ever had,” he offered to a sleepy Sam. Sam stretched out again before pushing himself up and off the couch.

“Sounds great. But let me warn you, I’ve had some pretty good crepes,” he warned, waggling his finger at Gabriel.

“I’ll just have to step up my game then.” Gabriel guided Sam to the kitchen, occasionally stopping when Sam paused to look at the odd, bright colours that covered the walls, or the odd trinkets that adorned Gabriel’s shelves.

“Sit,” Gabriel commanded, pointing to a chair behind the kitchen island. Sam pulled  out the chair and did as Gabriel has said. Gabriel opened the fridge, pulling out the eggs and milk. “Now it’s your turn to prove you’re not a serial killer. Tell me all about this god of beauty that is currently sitting at my kitchen island.”

“I’m not that interesting!” Sam insisted.

“Nonsense! Everyone is interesting, okay? Even the most mundane, normal human being has something special about them, or an interesting story to them, or a person they love, everyone tries. So, quit dumping on yourself and speak, got it?” Gabriel said, pointing a batter filled spoon at Sam.

“That was a little less threatening with the spoon dripping batter everywhere,” Sam said. He grinned. “Alright. Uhm. My name’s Sam Winchester. I’m 21. I go to The University of Texas School of Law. I really want to be a lawyer, mostly because I feel like I should be doing something good with my life, you know, helping the world, even if it’s in really small, insignificant way.”

“See! That’s interesting. I like hearing how people think. And your thinking is pretty amazing. I like it. Now, keep talking while I try and find a pan.” Gabriel sat down on the floor, opening a cabinet and sorting through various kitchen tools. Sam leaned over and looked at Gabriel, smiling, before sitting back down on the chair.

“I’ve got an older brother. His name’s Dean. Uh, he works on restoring old cars, and he really likes it. He’s the one that got me started playing D&D. My friends and I play a campaign every Friday night and- what are you doing down there?” Sam asked, looking over again. Gabriel frowned at the pan stuck under a large glass container. He grunted, finally managing to pull it out. He stood back up again.

“My kitchen tools are all in a secret plot against me,” he explained. “Feel free to keep talking while I duel with the kitchen, though.” He turned the stove top burners on. “This is the problem with having so many cooking things,” he grumbled.

“Uh, so. I play with some friends. Brady, who’s my roommate, and he’s an orc. Garth, who plays a halfling. Kevin’s a dwarf mage. And Charlie, she’s the Dungeon Master.”

“I loved to play that game in high school. Me an’ Balth and Cassie and Alfie. So, what do you play as?” Gabriel paused, grumbling as he tried to find vegetable oil.

“Usually, I like being an elf. They’re tall, like me, but a million times more graceful. Uhm, what more is there to know about me? I really love dogs. I can’t have one in my dorm room, but as soon as I graduate, I’m getting one.”

“Good. A dog lover. I knew I picked well.”

“You didn’t pick me, I saved you from being trampled.”

“Maybe I fell on purpose so that someone would save me.”

“With that face of pure terror you made? I doubt it.”

“I was hoping no one would notice that. And I thought I was going to die, okay?’

“Do you need to know anything else about my boring li-”

“Hey. No. Not boring, remember? That word’s, like, banned from your vocabulary from now on, got it?”

“Fine. Do you want to know anything else about my life?”

“I’d like to know how well you like these crepes,” Gabriel said, setting a plate down in front of Sam. He walked around to the other side of the island and pulled out a chair, sitting next to Sam. “These,” he pointed, “are ham and cheese, and these,” he pointed to another crepe, “are Nutella and powdered sugar.”

“That looks really good.”

“Good. It better. Now eat.” He and Sam ate, mostly in silence, sharing the plate full of crepes. When the plate was empty, Gabriel leaned forward and kissed Sam.

“As perfect as this is,” he said after a while, “I really should get to work. Cassie’ll have opened the store by now, but Saturday is our busiest day, and I’m sure we’re swamped.”

“Uhm, Everything, right?”

“Yep. I can call a cab for you or something.” Gabriel hesitated before adding, “Or you could come with me? I can show you the shop, and then drive you wherever. Do you have a car or do you use the Metro?”

 

“I’ve got a car. That would be thanks to Dean.”

“Good. So. Cab? Or the Beetle?”

“Well, I was going to say I wanted to come with you, but then I remembered what your car looked like, and now I’m rethinking the whole thing.”

“Leave my girl alone, mister!” Gabriel gasped as he hit Sam in the shoulder. “What has she ever done to you, except take you to an extremely handsome man’s house?”

 

“Fine, fine. I’ll come with you. As long as you don’t tell people I came with you in your car.”

“If you make one more joke about the Beetle, Sam Winchester…” Gabriel let the threat hang in the air. He raised his hands in clenched fists and imitated punching Sam. Sam threw his hands in the air to protect himself.

“No more jokes on the expense of your car, I promise! Please don’t poison my crepes or something!”

“That’s what I thought,” Gabriel said triumphantly. “Now, I’ve got to go get this eye makeup off, brush my hair out, and put on something slightly less revealing for the kid’s store. And put on some shoes that aren’t trying to kill me.”

\--

CHAPTER THREE- Meeting the Gang

Gabriel came back downstairs minus all the glitter and rainbow. His hair was brushed down, but the crazy colours still remained. He walked to the kitchen where he’d left Sam, to find that apparently, Sam had taken it upon himself to wash their breakfast dishes.

“God, you really are my Prince Charming, aren’t you?” Gabriel asked as he stepped into the kitchen, where Sam was drying his hands off with a towel.

“It was nothing,” Sam said, cheeks brushed with red from embarrassment. “I just figured since you did all the cooking, I could at least help clean up.”

“You know, I really, really hate cleaning up after I cook, but I love doing the cooking. I’m pretty sure that we must be, like, soulmates.”  Sam grinned at the compliment. “So. Ready to go to Everything?”

“Yeah. That sounds good.”

They walked to the front door. Gabriel paused and stood on his toes, reaching up to smooth down Sam’s hair.

“Bedhead,” he explained. Sam responded by leaning down and running his fingers through Gabriel’s hair, messing it up. Gabriel punched him in the stomach, frowning. “You jerk.”

“Didn’t say that when I was cleaning your dishes.”

“Well, we’ve obviously established that I only like you when you’re doing manual labor.” Gabriel opened the front door and the two stepped outside. Gabriel locked the door behind them and then led the way.

“So, do I need to go through your imagination door this time?” Sam asked.

“No! Don’t be ridiculous! Why would you want to leave Imagination? You only want to enter Imagination. But you have to enter it every time you come here.”

“That’s a weird idea. But I like it.”

They walked to the car, and Sam opened his mouth.

“Don’t you dare make a comment about my girl.”

“I wasn’t going to!”

“I’m watching you, Sam.” Sam rolled his eyes and they both got in the car as Gabriel unlocked it.

“Mind if I play some music?” Gabriel asked as they buckled in.   
  


“Depends on what it is.”

“David Bowie? Scissor Sisters? I also have a bunch of nameless weird Indie stuff.”

“David Bowie sounds good. Nice break from all of the rock music my brother constantly blasts. Not that I don’t like it. But a break’s nice.” Gabriel turned on the CD player, and turned it down somewhat. He wasn’t always an asshole.

Gabriel parked in the back lot when they arrived. He turned to face Sam, who was shaking his head.

“Are there- bubbles? Being blown outside in the front?”

“Yep! Kids love ‘em. I love them too. Sometimes wonder if I was meant to be a kid forever. Obviously, judging by my height, my body seems to think I should be.”

“I guess I should have known that this place was going to be cool.”

“Just wait till you get inside. You’ll be amazed,” Gabriel promised. He unbuckled and got out, Sam following him quickly. Gabriel locked the car and walked forward. He dug his keys out of his pocket for the back door, unlocking it and letting Sam and him in. He closed the door behind him, then flipped the light on. “This is the kitchen, where we make everything from scratch.” They walked through, and Gabriel pushed open the door. Sam walked through, noise immediately travelling through the open door.  

Like Gabriel had said, the store was a child’s paradise. Originally, it had been divided into four sections. The sweets, the bakery, the toys, the books. But over the years that Gabriel had owned the store, the sections had blended and overflowed. The place was a mess. But a good mess. A kid ran by, pulling his mother along. Gabriel grinned as the boy ran.

“This is Everything,” he said, gesturing around. Sam stepped forward.

“This place must be every kid’s dream!” he exclaimed.

“That’s why I have the place. Here, c’mon. I’ve got to let Cassie know that I’m actually here so he doesn’t get too pissed off at me. Then I’ll show you around. There’s a million things to show you. And the best part is, I get to pay myself to do this.” Sam followed him, laughing as he walked. Gabriel knew that this place was amazing. He’d built it himself. A perfect place.

“Cas! Cassie! Castiel!” he called as he walked. Castiel called back from behind the register, mild annoyance in his voice. “Well, heya, Castiel! Good morning!” he greeted.

 

“It’s late afternoon,” Castiel replied coldly.

Gabriel ignored the annoyed comment. “Castiel, this is Sam. He’s adorable and sweet and I plan on winning his heart over via sugar. Sam, this is Castiel, my grumpy pants brother.”

Castiel extended a hand and forced a smile.

“You must be the one my brother texted me about meeting last night and falling in love with.”

“Cas! Don’t tell him that!” Gabriel complained, shrinking down.

“No, it’s alright. That’s pretty sweet of you. Uh, hey. Nice to meet you, Castiel. I’m sorry for making him late to work.” Sam took Castiel’s hand and shook.

“He’s always late, it doesn’t matter. At least he came in smiling.”

“Eh, c’mon, let’s get away from my weird brother. I’ve got to show you off. This’a way,” he said, pointing his thumb behind him. “Anna’s in the book section, let’s go.” He started to walk backwards, grabbing Sam’s hand and tugging him along. Sam waved awkwardly to Castiel.

“Uh, nice to meet you, Cas! Hope to see you soon! I’ll try not to make Gabriel late again.” Castiel waved goodbye.

“She’s sweet. She’ll totally be jealous that I scored you, though.”

“Wait- who said you scored me? We’ve known each other for a day!”

“Oh. Yeah. Well, I was getting the feeling that we were clicking. And I mean, you’re not mine. Not yet, at least. But you haven’t tried any of my baked goods yet.”

“Do you seduce a lot of people with your baked goods?” Sam laughed.

“Yes. And I could totally Pied Piper this place if I wanted. My cooking is fu- shit, I shouldn’t swear in the shop. Well, my cooking is pretty damn awesome.”

“Fine. Take me out some time, feed my your magical pastry, and then you can start claiming me as your own. Till now, I think I’m just on the world’s most unconventional date, with the world’s most unconventional guy.”

“Alright, alright. I won’t start introducing my new true love and fiance to the parents just yet.”

“You’re a little full of yourself, you know that, right?”

“Yeah, but I’m hot, so I make up for it.”

“You’re proving my point right no-”

“Anna! Good morning, and you just look beautiful today! Look, this is Sam! Isn’t he gorgeous?” Gabriel asked, grabbing the redhead by the hips and giving her a hug.

“Sam, this is Anna. Sister of mine. A girl after my own heart.”

“Nice to meet you, Sam. I was beginning to wonder if Gabe would even show up today.” Anna smiled, the corners of her mouth twitching up as she shook Sam’s hand.

“Yeah… sorry about that,” Sam apologized, mechanically rubbing the back of his neck.

“It’s no problem,” Anna laughed. “I’m just glad that he has a reason for being late for once.”

“Okay, seriously?” Gabriel interjected. “Why is everyone criticizing me today? Are you all just secretly plotting against me so the guy that I actually have a chance with runs away screaming? What did I ever do to any of you?”

 

Sam wrapped his large frame around the shorter man’s shoulders. “Don’t pout. We’re just messing around.” He kissed the top of Gabe’s head. “Now, how about we finish that tour you promised me?”

“Fine, but I will not be held responsible for my other siblings’ behavior.”

“Fantastic. So, what’s next on the agenda?”

“The candy store. The kids’ favorite destination. Mine too.” He walked to a jar of Lemon Heads, and spooned out a few. “Here, have some. Kids shoplift all the time, and I let them.” Sam took the offered candy. “And if you head this way,” Gabriel said as he walked, “you’ll find yourself in the bookstore, the parent’s favorite place. On Mondays, we’ve got storytime for free.”

“That’s adorable. Who does it?”

“My cousin, Chuck. He definitely has a way with words. You’ll find that it runs in the family, Sam-a-lam.” Gabriel waggled his eyebrows. Sam grinned.

“The Little Prince? I love this book. You’ve got all the books I read as a kid, Gabe!” Sam said, picking up the little blue paperback.

“Nah, I’ve got all the books I read as a kid, and you just so happened to have read them too,” Gabriel said, grabbing the book back. He stuck his tongue out. Sam responded by doing the same. “And over this way,” he said, continuing to drag Sam, “is the toy section.”

A kid ran by, grinning, clutching a toy. Gabriel and Sam stopped to look at the boy. He handed the toy to his mother, but she shook her head and told him it was too much.

“Hey, uhm, excuse me for a second, Sammy,” Gabriel muttered. He let go of Sam’s hand and walked over to the woman.

“Hey-a. My name’s Gabriel Novak, and I own Everything. Can I see that toy real quick?” he asked. The woman frowned but handed it over. Gabriel grabbed a pencil out of his shirt pocket and scratched out the price, before handing it to the boy. “Just tell ‘em that Gabriel did that when you check out.” He winked, then walked back over to Sam.

“Am I allowed to kiss you? Because you’re amazing, Gabriel.”

“Eh, I try. And yeah, I don’t think I would be too opposed to that.”

Sam leaned down and gave Gabriel a short kiss, leaving both of them grinning when he moved away.

“I should- ah.. take you to the bakery now,” Gabriel muttered, reluctant to move away.

“Let’s do that. I think we should save what we were doing for later.” Gabriel walked towards the bakery part, weaving around the mass of happy, shouting kids.

“Here’s my pride and joy. People always tell me that the food’s so good, I need to move out of the shop and set a whole ‘nother place up. To them, I politely but firmly say ‘Screw you!’.”

“If any of these things are half as good as the crepes you made this morning, then I know why people say it’s good.”

 

“I know it’s good! I made them, of course they’re good! But this is part of Everything, you know? I can’t just hack off one of it’s arms and expect it to be fine!”

“You’re a bit dramatic, you know that?”

 

“Hey guys! Who’s this?” A young man popped up from behind the counter. His hair was messy and he had flour all over his clothes and face.

“ALFIE!” Gabriel shouted, jumping back. “God, kid, can a man get some warning?” he asked, taking a minute to calm down. Sam laughed, a full, roaring laugh, tilting his head back.

“Hi. I’m Sam. Apparently, I’m Gabriel’s new true love,” he said, extending a hand. Alfie took it and shook it.

 

“Hi! I’m Samandriel. Ha, another Sam, that’s funny. But you can call me Alfie, ‘cause most people do that already. Don’t know why, but they do. Must have just caught on,” he babbled.

“And that would be yet another cousin, Alfie. Who I think can secretly apparate, and uses that power only to scare the crap out of me. He, Inias, and I do most of the baking. Inias is probably in the back room, babysitting the oven as we speak.”

“Yep! He is! He doesn’t really like people, except for us, so he usually hides in the back and puts me up front. But that’s okay because I’m totally fine with talking to people,” Alfie chippered.

“Hey, I gotta go talk to Castiel real quick, Alfie, give Sam some samples. I told him I would win his heart with baked goods, and I want to keep that promise,” Gabriel commanded. He winked at Sam, then ran off, shouting to Castiel.

—  
CHAPTER FOUR- He Likes You

“Gabriel must really like you, huh?” Samandriel asked. He opened up the display case and stared at the contents. “Muffin, scone, or cookies?” he asked.

“I guess so. Scone, please. But we just met last night. I don’t think he really could possibly like me that much. He’s great, though. Really… different. I like him.” Alfie reached in and grabbed out a scone, handing it over the counter to Sam before closing the case back up.

“Wait- No, no, trust me, he likes you,” Alfie promised. “He gave you the full tour of Everything. He only shows Everything to people he likes, and he only gives the full tour to people he really likes. He likes you. And Gabriel’s really good at reading people. If he thinks that he’s gonna like you when he meets you, he will. When he says he loves you, he means it.” Alfie paused to breathe after his long rant. “So, how do you like the scone?” Sam took a minute to answer, too caught up in what Alfie had told him to say anything else. Sam liked Gabriel, a lot. He was handsome, he was odd, different. He was talented, and kind. But Gabriel seemed far too cool to like Sam that much. But apparently, he did. “Hey, Sam? The scone?” Alfie prompted again.

“Oh, yeah. It’s great. It’s not too sugary. I really like it.” Sam grinned. Alfie grinned back.

“I helped Gabriel with those. Normally he only lets me help with the cookies, but Friday he was going out so he had me help. That was great.” Sam slowly tuned Alfie out as he continued to rattle on about his baking duties.

“I’m back! Sammy, you digging the scone? Has Samandriel talked your ears off yet?” Gabriel asked as he suddenly appeared next to Sam again.

“It’s really good. Usually I don’t like scones and cookies and cake because it’s always too sweet, and it’s like I’m just shoving sugar in my mouth.”

“Are you saying that shoving sugar in your mouth is a bad thing?” Gabriel asked, faking offense.

“Yes, I am. But this wasn’t overpowering at all. It’s really good. And Alfie was fine.”

“Alright. Good. Okay, I’ve got to do a few things around the shop somewhat urgently. So unless you want to hang out in a hectic store full of hyper children for a few hours, I’m gonna have Castiel drive you to your car, alright?”

“Okay, sure. I mean, I would stay, but college homework and all that.”

“Alright. Cassie’s that’a way,” Gabriel told him, pointing over to the front of the shop. “Shit! I almost didn’t get your number! I’m gonna need that if we’re gonna have a date later!”

“You sure you still want that?”

“Of course I do, moron. You’re gorgeous and sweet and funny and have watched all the right movies. Now hurry up and hand over your phone so I can give you my number and get back to work.” Gabriel held out his hand for Sam’s phone. Sam grinned. He fished his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it before handing it over to Gabriel. Gabriel typed away at it then handed it back to Sam. Sam took it and put it back in his pocket.

“Now give me a kiss then scram,” Gabriel instructed. Sam grinned and obliged. “Cassie’s over there.” Sam walked over to the front of the store near the register, pausing to grin at the store. Castiel was waiting impatiently, keys in hand.

“Hello, Sam. I’m going to take you to your car. Mine is in the front.”

“Thanks. I really appreciate you doing this.”

“It’s no problem, really,” Castiel explained as he walked around the car.

“Still, thank you.”

“I’m glad to help.” Castiel smiled. “So, where is your car parked?”

 

“It’s, uh, in the parking garage off of Trinity and Eighth. At the Pride Parade.”

“That’s not too far from here. It should only take five, ten minutes to get there.”

“Great.”

Sam let the silence drag out for several minutes before Castiel broke it, jarring Sam from his thoughts.

“Are you aware that Gabriel likes you?” he questioned

“Yeah? He’s told me that a lot. And Alfie said that too.”

“Are you aware that he believes he is in love with you? Are you aware that while he may put up the illusion of not caring about anything, he indeed does care very much? Are you aware that he is very fragile, even though he may not seem that way?”

“Well, uh, no? It’s not like I plan on hurting him though. You don’t need to play big brother and break out your shotguns. I promise I’ll have him home by curfew and we won’t get knocked up.”

“Oh, no, it was not a threat in any manner. I’m against violence. I was simply telling you important information if you decide to continue in a relationship with him.”

“Ohhkay.” Gabriel’s family was odd, there was no other way to put it. But Sam guessed it was to be expected from such an eccentric guy. And honestly, although they were weird, no one had been rude. Alfie had been nothing but helpful, Castiel had been helpful in his own odd way, Anna had been nice. And for Gabriel, he would put up with it.

They went back to silence, Castiel steering through crowded downtown Austin calmly and with ease. Sam would never have been able to do that. He hated driving here. He’d always lived in small cities, no where near as crowded as Austin was. Castiel slowed down and parked next to Sam’s car in the parking lot he’d parked in for the pride parade.

“Here you are, Sam. I hope to see you with Gabriel in the future.”

“I hope so too,” Sam said as he unbuckled and opened the car door.

 

“And Sam?”

“Yes?”

“Try not to make Gabriel that late for work again.”

“Yes sir,” Sam said with a laugh. “Will do,” he promised with a small salute as he got out of the car.

“You can find the hours of the store online, so you can try to speak to him when we’re closed.”

“Alright. Thanks, Cas. And for the record, I’m pretty sure I’m going to love Gabriel too.”

\--

CHAPTER FIVE- Everything About You

****  
  


The store closed at eight. As Gabriel rang up the last purchase of the night and locked the doors, he sighed. He collapsed on a stool near the register.

“You didn’t scare Sammy off too much, did you, Cas?” Gabriel asked, turning to his brother. He grabbed his phone out and stared at it. Still no calls or messages.

“I don’t believe so, no. In fact, he seemed very dedicated in pursuing a relationship with you.”

“See, that’s exactly what I’m talking about!” Gabriel slumped. “He hasn’t called me or texted me a single time. Why hasn’t he texted me yet?”

“I think that perhaps he sim-”

“Uh-uh, no, shhh, Cas, let me wallow in misery without you shoving logic for just a few moments.”

“I was simply going to say I told him our hours, and that it would be best if he contacted you when the store was not open, as you are usually busy when we’re open.”

“Oh.”

“Sometimes it would do you good to stop and think for a moment, you kn-”

“He texted me!” Gabriel shouted triumphantly, hopping off the stool. “Thank you, Cassie. Love yah, gotta go!” he said, grabbing Castiel and pulling him into a hug with a peck on the cheek, before rushing up. “Goodbye, all! Goodbye, Everything! I’ve got a perfect boy to talk to!” he shouted as he left. Everyone called goodbye as he rushed off. And he liked to think that Everything missed him when he was gone too. He waited until he was in his car before looking at the text.

Gabriel? Hey, it’s Sam. Castiel said that you’re usually busy during work. It’s over now, though, right?

Yep. Although, really, you can text me anytime you want. Cas is just a big grumpy pants.

Cool. So. Remember that date you promised? Where I get to know everything about you and your crazy life?

I remember that very clearly. And I also was promised some more info about you.

I’ll try and think of something a little bit interesting. When are you free? I’ve got nothing except Friday night D&D, and that can always be rescheduled.

I would never dream of interrupting your game! Wouldn’t want to make your team mates hate me, now would I? The store closes early on Mondays and Thursday, so those days work best for me.

Would I seem needy if I asked for Monday? I’d like to see you again soon.

Not needy at all. Really sweet and adorable is all. We close at six. Meet me at the store?

Sounds good.

I’ll take you somewhere with great food.

Now that sounds even better. Alright. See you at six on Monday, Gabriel.

See you, handsome.

See you, beautiful.

Gabriel’s face was a massive grin as he set his phone down and turned the car on. A date with Sam. That was fucking awesome. Now all he had to do was survive until Monday night.

Everything closed at  five on Sunday, and promptly at five, Gabriel got a text.

hey. everything’s closed, right? not distracting you, am i?

no, you’re good.

great. i don’t want to get on Castiel’s bad side.

ha. yeah. trust me, you really don’t. i learned that the hard way. the hyperactive prankster and the way too serious dude who isn’t afraid of getting his revenge growing up together wasn’t the best combo.

 

do you go looking for trouble or does it find you?

 

it’s usually a mix of both. so, what are you up too? what could possibly be so boring that you would turn to me for entertainment?

i thought the word boring was banned.

it’s only banned from your vocabulary, not mine.

ah. i’ve been studying all day, and there’s only so much of that i can take.

you’d better get your homework done, i don’t want to be the one responsible for ruining a brilliant young mind.

don’t worry, mr. over-dramatic. i promise to get it all done before monday night.

you’d better.

yes mom.

 

ew. if we’re going to be making out i would hope i’m not your mother.

see. mr. over-dramatic.

hush.hey, i’ve got to help alfie and inias get the bakery set up for the next day. text you later?

sounds good. see you, beautiful

 

see you, handsome.

Gabriel kneaded the dough for the next morning with a smile on his face, humming sappy love songs to himself.

Monday could not come fast enough for him. Balthazar was cranky with him in the morning, which usually made Gabriel moody as well. But not Monday. He smiled and pressed a huge, theatrical kiss on Balthazar’s cheek as he walked out the door, skipping to his car.

Mondays were story time days. Kids poured into the store on those days. It was free, and often times Gabriel gave out samples on Mondays too. People did tend to buy things on those days, but that’s not what Gabriel cared about. He loved watching kids listen intently. He loved watching them light up when Chuck talked. He liked how everyone grew quiet and hushed, set on hearing every single word that spilled out of Chuck’s mouth.

He sat on a stool in the back, listening to the story of the day, a good old fashioned fairy tale. He gave samples of classic chocolate chip cookies out as people left. He greeted the parents who always took their children to story time, and grinned and laughed and played with the children that always came, scooping them up into massive bear hugs.

The rest of the day passed normally. He tended to float around the store, helping where it was needed. Sometimes Inias needed help, or Castiel wanted someone to deal with an angry customer, or Anna went on break, or sometimes he just wandered around the store, giving demonstrations of the toys and drawing all the kids’ eyes. He started to get nervous around five thirty.

“What if he doesn’t show up? What if he decides I’m too weird?” he asked Castiel. Gabriel was seated on top of the counter while Castiel tried to help a customer in vain.

“Gabriel, he likes you, stop worrying about it,” Castiel sighed, handing a receipt over, then turning to Gabriel. “Although if you don’t get off my counter, you will find yourself having to cancel the date because you will be busy at the hospital.”  

“Geez, grumpy. Fine, fine. I’ll let you get back to work. But if I die of worry before Sam shows up, I’m blaming you.” He slipped off the counter and headed back towards the bakery. “And I’ll come back as a ghost and haunt the hell out of you, too!”

The door clanged shut as the last customer left at six o’ five. Gabriel tried to distract himself by cleaning. His head shot up when he heard the loud clang of the bell over the door.

“Sammy! I thought you had come to your senses and decided that I was far too odd for a nice boy like you!” he said, rushing up to the front door. Sam grabbed him up in a hug.

“Nah, and destroy my chance with such an amazingly perfect guy?” Sam said, teasing.

 

“Awh, hush.”

“And I’m sorry I’m late. Driving around downtown Austin is apparently far harder and more hazardous than I previously thought.”

“You’re not a big city boy, are you?” Gabriel questioned. Sam shook his head. “Well, I’ve got to go let Cas know I’m headed out, and then what do you say to me taking you out on a date?”

“I say you better! I didn’t brave rush hour traffic to get ditched!”

“Yes, sir! I’ll be right back,” Gabriel promised. He found Castiel in the back, and gave his little brother a quick kiss on the forehead. “Wish me luck, baby bro.”

“Luck, Gabriel.”

“Thanks. I’m off now. Can you shut down for me?”

“I often do.”

“Don’t sass me with that deep, monotone voice of yours.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Agh! I can never read you. Anyway, I’m off on a date with my Adonis.”

“Enjoy yourself.”

“I will!” Gabriel ran off like a kid, sliding to a stop in front of Sam, stumbling a little bit. Sam caught him and sniggered as he set Gabriel upright.

“Is this gonna become our thing? You falling, me saving you?”

“Ohh. We get a thing? I think if we have a thing, it should be making out and cuddling.”

“Maybe we can have two things, then.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Gabriel offered his arm. “May I take you to the car, my Prince?”

“That sounds like an excellent idea, my kind sir.” They walked to the back and outside, arm in arm. Gabriel unlocked the car and they got in. “Today for our musical selection, we have the Scissor Sisters or The Ting Tings.”

“I haven’t heard of The Ting Tings before.”

“That is a terrible shame and we need to remedy this immediately.” Gabriel turned the stereo on, but on second thought turned the volume down much lower. “How were classes today?”

“Eh. They were college classes. Not exactly the most interesting thing. I didn’t have one of my worst teachers today. That was nice. I hung out with Jess afterwards.”

“Jess?” Gabriel questioned.

“She’s one of my best friends. Although she’s kinda my ex.”

“Kinda?”

“She found out she was an aromantic lesbian, and I found out that I’m asexual and like guys more.”

“Is that a thing? Because I also have an aromantic lesbian ex. Although mine is definitely not my best friend.”

“Maybe it’s a sign that we’re meant to be.”

“You know, if it is, I would almost completely forgive Kali for being a bitch if it was so that I could be with you.”

“So. Where are you taking me while you brave traffic?”  
  


“That would be a secret, Sammy, my dear.”

“You’re starting to give off the serial killer vibe again.”

“Okay. I have not murdered you for four days. I think I deserve a break. We are going to be walking down the aisle together and you are still going to be accusing me of being an ax murderer.”

“I won’t be walking down the aisle with you if you’ve ax murdered me.”

“If you don’t let go of that, I seriously will get an ax.”

“That seems exactly like the kind of thing an ax murderer would threaten.”

“You know what? I’ve changed my mind. Let’s go back. I had this whole night planned but no. My date is too afraid that I’m going to murder him, so I have to take him home.”

“Oh, well, you know, if you’ve got a whole night planned, then I’m sure it makes up for me getting murdered.”

“Agh! You are so annoying.”

“Whoops. I don’t want to get on a serial killer’s bad side.”

“We’re here, you paranoid bastard,” Gabriel announced, pulling into a parking spot.

 

“Sixth Street? Isn’t this where drunk people and druggies hang out?”

“Sam. It’s Austin. Of course. First, Whole Foods. Which has some pretty amazing food. Then, Waterloo Records. Then, Book People, which I’m sure a nerd like you will love.” Gabriel got out of the car and locked it when Sam stepped out.

“Most people go see a movie or have dinner for a first date.

“But we’re not most people, now are we?”

“I suppose not.” Sam offered a hand for Gabriel to hold, and Gabriel gladly took it. Their fingers curled around together, and their arms swung back and forth. It took them a minute to force their steps into a rhythm. Sam’s strides were long and took him far, Gabriel’s weren’t near as long. But eventually they settled into a pace that was just right for the both of them.

They walked into Whole Foods, smiling at each other.

“Whole Foods. Restaurant, grocery store, live music venue, playground, and certified home of hippies,” Gabriel said.

“Shhh! Don’t say that out loud!” Sam gasped, shoving Gabriel.

“Are you afraid of the scary hippies with the giant beards, Sammy?” Gabriel teased, his voice even louder than before. Sam shoved him harder this time. They made their way to the restaurant part of the store, giggling and shoving each other as they walked. They stood at the menu board, hand in hand. Gabriel waited patiently for Sam to decide, as he already knew his order by heart. Sam ordered a salad, and Gabriel faked a gag. Gabriel ordered a mini pizza, topped with just about everything they offered. They waited for their food to be prepared, leaning against a nearby wall and just enjoying each other’s presence. They untangled their fingers reluctantly when their order number was called out and they both needed their hands to carry food.

“I should have known that when you said you didn’t like things too sweet you were one of those health food freaks,” Gabriel said with a heavy sigh, promptly shoving his mouth full of hot pizza.

“You’re the one who took me to Whole Foods!” Sam protested.

“I didn’t fink ood get a salad,” Gabriel muttered, mouth full. Sam rolled his eyes. He waited for Gabriel to swallow before shoving a fork full of salad at Gabriel.

“Take a bite,” he commanded. Gabriel frowned, but ate the food offered to him. He waited for a second, chewing slowly.

“Alright. That wasn’t awful,” he admitted. Sam smiled. They ate quietly for a while more. “Fine. Give me another bite,” Gabriel huffed.

“Oh, but Gabriel, people who eat salad are health food freaks,” Sam mocked. He moved the bowl of salad away. “And we wouldn’t want that.” Gabriel glared at Sam and reached for the bowl, but it was too far away from his reach. Sam laughed at him until Gabriel gave up and leaned back in his seat. Sam handed over the salad then, and Gabriel took a few more bites before handing it back.

“We never speak of this again, understood?” Gabriel said.

“And let the whole world know that Gabriel Novak is a health freak? Oh, I wouldn’t dare.”

“Asshole,” Gabriel mumbled. “So,” he said as he took another bite of his pizza, “You’ve met and heard a lot about my weirdo family. I think it’s my turn to hear about your family.”

“Uhm. Okay. Like I said, I’ve got an older brother named Dean. He’s four years older than me. Uhm. I don’t- my mom died when I was six months old. The house burned down. She didn’t make it. For a while, my Uncle Bobby helped raise us. He’s not really related to us, but he’s just so close to us. Dean raised me for the most part, though. Dad wasn’t really around that often, I guess. My dad’s still around, but I don’t see him that often. Dean tries to come see me when he can, and I go to Bobby’s for most holidays.”

“I’m sorry about your mom.”

“It’s alright. It’s been twenty two years. And of course I miss her, but I didn’t ever really get the chance to know her. I mean, it sucks, and I hate it, and I hate what happened because of it. But it’s passed, it happened. I’m as over it as I can ever be.”

“How well adjusted of you.”

“What about your parents? Your grandparents obviously had gobs of kids.”

“Yeah. Lots of kids, lots of adoption. Our family used to be uber Christian, and took it upon themselves to take in as many kids as physically possibly. So that’s why me and Castiel don’t look the same. Growing up was- interesting. Really, really interesting.”

Sam finished eating first, Gabriel taking longer to eat his pizza. They stacked their dishes, and Sam carried his plate and Gabriel’s bowl over to the trash.

“So, you wanna head over to Waterloo Records?” Gabriel offered as they finished cleaning up their table.

“So you can find out how limited and bad my musical tastes are?”

“So that I can figure out exactly what you need to become better educated in.”

“Alright. But no judging.”

“No judging, I swear.” Gabriel drew an X in the air with his pointer finger, right above his chest. “Cross my heart, blah blah blah, death.” They grabbed each others hands again as they left the store.

The walk over to the store was much slower going than it should have been. Sam kept stopping to kiss Gabriel, Gabriel kept stopping to kiss Sam, there was giggling, laughing, and lots of pushing and shoving, and racing down the street while Gabriel shouted about how unfair it was, with Sam’s unnaturally long legs. Sam pushed open the door, holding it open for Gabriel. They both paused in the front of the store, laughing and trying to catch their breath.

“So, Sammy. Besides the fact that you apparently haven’t even heard of The Ting Tings, what sort of music do you like?”

(WHAT MUSIC DOES SAM LIKE IDK)

(i don’t feel like writing this scene right now. skip to book people)

It was uncharacteristically cold outside as they drove to Book People. Gabriel got out when he parked, and Sam pulled his long form out.

“This whole place is a book store?” Sam asked as he looked up at the building.

“Yep! Two floors full of books and toys,” Gabriel confirmed as he dragged Sam inside. “Where do you wanna start?” Gabriel asked as they walked inside. “Kids books, fiction, non fiction, biographies, the toys, self help the journals? What suits Sam Winchester?”

“Can we be massively immature and go to the toys?” Sam offered tentatively.

“That’s the perfect choice!” Gabriel said. He pointed out the stairs to Sam, and they raced up them, taking them two (or in Sam’s case, three or four) at a time. Gabriel’s first action, upon reaching the toys, was to find the most ridiculous toy he possibly could.

They ended up with a few books each, and a stupid mustache flashlight.

Gabriel cuddled next to Sam as they walked, a chilly breeze sweeping through out of nowhere. They found their way back to the car, even though it was dark. Sam let go of Gabriel reluctantly as they had to walk to opposite sides of the car. Gabriel fumbled for the keys.

“I suppose I couldn’t convince you to let me kidnap you for the night?” Gabriel sighed. He unlocked the car door and they both got in.

“Ha. I wish you could. But I’ve got classes tomorrow. And my hardest one starts at eight in the morning.”

“Damn. You sure you couldn’t skip? Or drop out of school and then I could enslave you as my personal cuddler?”

“Hmm. As intriguing as that offer sounds, I’m pretty sure Dean would be pissed at me for wasting a full ride scholarship. And pissing Dean off isn’t fun to deal with.” Gabriel whistled, impressed.

“A full ride scholarship? Geez. Who knew that Prince Charming was a genius on top of being handsome and sweet? Alright, fine. No kidnapping tonight. Maybe some other time?”

“Some other time for sure,” Sam nodded. Gabriel grinned as he turned on the car.

“Here, hand me one of those CDs we bought for your education.” Sam laughed and did so, closing his eyes and pulling one out at random. He unwrapped the plastic from it, and opened the case.

“Uhm, Flannel 4 Lyfe,” Sam read off as he handed the disk over to Gabriel. Gabriel put it in the CD player, dancing in his seat slightly before the music even started.

“Oh, trust me, Sammy. You’re gonna love these guys,” he said, right before the music came on over the car stereo and drowned out the rest of Gabriel’s words. He pulled out of the parking spot, heading bobbing to the music, and left foot stamping out the beat. As he drove, he took time to glance over at Sam, who was enjoying himself, dancing in his own seat along to the music. By the time Gabriel pulled back into his parking spot at Everything, the sun had set hours ago, and Sam was asleep, head resting on the window. Gabriel turned the music way down, unbuckled, and pressed a kiss to Sam’s forehead. He sat back down in the driver’s seat, and lightly shook Sam awake. “Hey, no, no, I’m supposed to be the princess here, and you’re the one who wake me up with true love’s kiss,” he teased. Sam stretched out and yawned.

“Shit, did I fall asleep? ‘m sorry. Just… college, you know?” he laughed. He looked outside the window, sighing. “Are we here already? Ugh. That means I have to drive all the way back to campus,” he complained.

“My offer of kidnapping you and forcing you into servitude still stands,” Gabriel joked.

“And my unwillingness to piss Dean off still stands.”

“Fair point. I’ll have to meet this fearsomely overprotective big brother someday.”

“Oh, I’m sure you will. The moment I tell him I’ve got a boyfriend, he’ll be driving out here to make sure you’re good enough for me.”

“Oh, am I your boyfriend then?” Gabriel inquired.

“If you want to be?”

“I would love to be. Alright, well, I’ll see you soon, Sammy, right?”

“As soon as I can manage,” Sam promised. He unbuckled and got out of the car, before changing his mind, and crawling back in to give Gabriel a kiss. “That’s so you know I’ll keep my promise.”

“I’ll have to make you promise things more often then,” Gabriel laughed. He watched as Sam left and stayed until he made sure that Sam had gotten in safely and had driven off. He buckled back up and turned the CD on, rocking out as he drove home.

 


End file.
